Althouse: "Prudence will get us nowhere at this point. The lack of alarm in Congress and in the media is becoming alarming."

January 2, 2018

"Prudence will get us nowhere at this point. The lack of alarm in Congress and in the media is becoming alarming."

"It goes without saying now that Democrats need a majority in Congress to impeach, and if they get it they should, and they should not stop with Trump, but add Gorsuch and every other illegitimate lifetime appointment made by Trump. We must be as vicious and thorough in our opposition as Republicans have been craven with their gerrymandering and brazen with their now consistent encouragement for voter ID laws and other perverted methods of maintaining power being put forth by the Justice Department. The only way to be an optimist is to believe we can fix everything Trump breaks. Mr. Weiner's calls for sobriety are in reality an acquiescence to tyranny. Resist."

That's the top-rated comment — by far — on a NYT op-ed by Greg Weiner titled "How Not to Impeach." He wants Trump impeached, but warns that it must be done in a sober, slow enough way to not look too politicized.

Weiner begins by assuming that it's "increasingly plausible" that Democrats will take over the majority in both houses of Congress after the 2018 elections, which I've been hearing a lot whenever I put up with listening to a little TV news commentary. But how are Democrats going to do that if they spend the next 10 month slavering over impeachment?

89 comments:

gspencer said...: "He wants Trump impeached, but warns that it must be done in a sober, slow enough way to not look too politicized."

Good one. Give Vegas a try; you might have another career.; 1/2/18, 7:03 AM
David Begley said...: Did Robespierre rise from the dead?

GOP holds the House and increase the margin in the Senate. Trump wins 40 states.

The Resistence only has street violence left. I expect it.; 1/2/18, 7:04 AM
TrespassersW said...: I keep hearing these people ravening about impeachment, but never about what they plan to impeach Trump for . Have I missed that, or did they skip over that part?; 1/2/18, 7:05 AM
MikeR said...: Every Democratic candidate should be questioned on this issue. For sure the median American thinks that talking about impeachment because the opposition is doing things you don't like is _way_ out of line. The median voter is not deranged, and isn't going to vote for someone deranged.
I want every Democratic candidate to explain clearly what he thinks would call for impeachment, and if he very strongly opposes impeachment for any other reason, and if he would promise to vote against. The campaign ads write themselves.
And if some of the Democratic candidates do say that they are strongly against impeachment, ask them if they denounce other Democrats who favor impeachment of their political enemies, and if they won't, why not.
It's past time to strike back against Trump Derangement, and the midterm elections are a good venue.; 1/2/18, 7:06 AM
Wilbur said...: "The Resistence only has street violence left. I expect it."

Funny, street violence is what comes to mind whenever I read about them impeaching Trump.; 1/2/18, 7:07 AM
rehajm said...: He wants Trump impeached, but warns that it must be done in a sober, slow enough way to not look too politicized

So you're not worried about the politicization itself just the appearance of politicization. You're subverting democracy in trying to overturn the results of an election. Who the Hell ya think you're fooling at this point?; 1/2/18, 7:09 AM
campy said...: I keep hearing these people ravening about impeachment, but never about what they plan to impeach Trump for .

He's both white and male.; 1/2/18, 7:12 AM
rehajm said...: which I've been hearing a lot whenever I put up with listening to a little TV news commentary

In 2016 before Hillary was elected when MSM was talking past her victory and looking to 2018 they were worried because of how unfavorable the map was for Dems in that cycle. Nothing has really changed. It is still a challenging map for Democrats in 2018 yet they are setting up their side for another round of delusion and derangement if their hopes and dreams don't some true.; 1/2/18, 7:13 AM
Tregonsee said...: The 2000 election was a warning. Since the "wrong" candidate won, the Left was so certain of this that it was only necessary to prove that Gore was the winner. At least, grudgingly and with the "help" of 9/11 they accommodated themselves to a Bush presidency. A generation later, we are a full banana republic, even if they fail to overturn the election. If they do, there may well be a civil war, and not one of just words.; 1/2/18, 7:17 AM
Tank said...: Leftism is a mental illness.; 1/2/18, 7:19 AM
Ralph L said...: Let's murder some Gracchi while we're at it.

He's both white and male.
But not dead.; 1/2/18, 7:20 AM
DrMaturin said...: @Ralph L

Let's murder some Gracchi while we're at it.

I was thinking the same thing. The parallels are disturbing, aren't they?; 1/2/18, 7:25 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Weiner begins by assuming that it's "increasingly plausible" that Democrats will take over the majority in both houses of Congress after the 2018 elections, which I've been hearing a lot whenever I put up with listening to a little TV news commentary. But how are Democrats going to do that if they spend the next 10 month slavering over impeachment?”

Just trying to keep the dream alive. But the Dems have essentially zero chance at not only retaking the Senate, but adding enough seats to be able to remove anyone from office through impeachment. They are the ones on defense this time, with many more seats up for reelection, and almost enough seats in Trump voting states to give the Republicans enough votes for cloture or to remove through impeachment. Not helping things one bit - every one of those Dem Senators up for reelection voted against Tax Reform, and the Trump State ones are going to face electorates with more money in their pockets as a result of the legislation that they voted against. Plus employment is up, unemployment down, and the stock market likely still well above where it was when Trump was elected. Not sure where they think that they are going to get the groundswell required to pick up almost every deep red Senate seat up for reelection. Much more likely, they will lose seats.

My guess is that the author resides deep in the Trump Russian Collusion swamp. But that “scandal” is very rapidly blowing up, being exposed as collaboration between the Crooked Hillary team, DNC, and the Deep State at the top of the DoJ and FBI. As we discussed last night, it seems fairly likely that the DoJ OIC report later this month is going to be devastating to the cause, laying out in detail how these Deep State operatives, working with the Obama Administration committed numerous felonies in order to destroy the Trump candidacy, and then Presidency. That is highly unlikely to win enough seats in Congress to help the Dems to their cherished goal of impeachment.; 1/2/18, 7:27 AM
DrMaturin said...: The Democrats have learned nothing during the past year. They thought they could bring down Trump with charges of sexual misconduct only to have it blow up in their faces and rip through their own party institutions. They thought they could prosecute their way back into power but we seem to be in the early stages of that blowing up as well. And now they want to run in the mid-terms on a single issue- we hate Trump. I don't think this will end well for them either.; 1/2/18, 7:28 AM
dreams said...: Slobbering liberals.; 1/2/18, 7:29 AM
Jaq said...: The more flack you take, the nearer you are to the target. Trump is doing exactly what I had hoped he would do, even if I had completely doubted that he would ever do it, I was ontologically certain, as McGloughlin used to say, that Hillary wouldn’t have done it, she being the current Borg Queen of the whole fetid mess that is Washington.; 1/2/18, 7:34 AM
Henry said...: The only way to be an optimist is to believe we can fix everything Trump breaks.

It's the Cat in the Hat fantasy. A magical something will clean up everything before Mom gets home.

In this case, the cleanup event from The Cat in the Hat Comes Back resembles the fantasy best:

Now here is the Z you can’t see,” said the cat.
And I bet you can’t guess what he has in his hat.
He has something called VOOM.
VOOM is so hard to get
You never saw anything like it, I bet.
Why VOOM cleans up anything, clean as can be.
The he yelled, “Take your hat off now, little cat Z.
Take the VOOM off our head.
Make it clean up the snow,
Hurry you little cat one, two, three go.”
Then the Voom… it went VOOM!
And, oh boy! What a VOOM!

Now don’t ask me what Voom is. Don't play the ump.
'Cuz, boy! Let me tell you it WILL clean up Trump!; 1/2/18, 7:36 AM
Ralph L said...: It's now 67 votes to convict. They got close with A. Johnson, when Southern Democrats were largely not allowed in the Senate.; 1/2/18, 7:36 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: Large segments of people on the left seem to be eager to disenfranchise about half the electorate and feel sanctimonious about it. Obviously there would be no negative repercussions from doing so.

People who can't stand Trump assure me that other people can't stand Trump and therefore they will vote for a Democrat. Because reasons.; 1/2/18, 7:36 AM
Jaq said...: Given the fact that the couple Republican Senators who turned on Trump have been forced by polling to retire, and that it is all but impossible for Democrats to win enough seats while at the same time defending a bunch of Democrat seats in red states that went heavily for Trump, I don’t see where they get the Republican votes they are going to need to remove Trump.

I can easily see him being impeached. Arguments that they could win the House are plausible, but they need a ton of votes to remove him in the Senate, so they will need many votes from Republicans who have seen what happens to Republicans who turn on Trump.

Basically the “high crime” that will lead to his impeachment will be defeating Hillary.; 1/2/18, 7:40 AM
Henry said...: I keep hearing these people ravening about impeachment, but never about what they plan to impeach Trump for .

Andrew Johnson was about as vile a president we've had and his impeachment charge was probably unconstitutional.; 1/2/18, 7:40 AM
Jaq said...: Besides, if they are going to run on impeachment, they are going to have to lay out the crimes. They don’t have any, at least not any that will sell to people who are not partisan Democrats, who are in a minority, same as partisan Republicans.; 1/2/18, 7:42 AM
Henry said...: Prudence might have beaten Trump. Hillary never had a shot.; 1/2/18, 7:43 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: My guess is that the author resides deep in the Trump Russian Collusion swamp. But that “scandal” is very rapidly blowing up, being exposed as collaboration between the Crooked Hillary team, DNC, and the Deep State at the top of the DoJ and FBI.

Not if your primary source of "news" is NPR and the broadcast networks. A week or two past I was doing some errands and turned to NPR momentarily. They were explaining the Russian Collusion Story as if it was still July and nothing had changed. I think they were trying to get the talking points out to their listeners so they could inflict them on their families during Christmas. I was especially struck by the tone of the reporter. She was speaking slowly and, to my mind, condescendingly. As if she wanted to make sure the listener would be able to repeat what she was saying later. A lot of people really believe "in" NPR because what better source of objective news could there be than a bunch of people who live in DC or NY, attended the same universities, and are totally dependent on long standing bureaucracies for their living?; 1/2/18, 7:48 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Dems as usual are math challenged. I'm not going to look up the exact numbers but back of the envelope math seems to be:

1. you need 67 votes to convict
2. Senate now 51-49, so u need to pick up 18
3. The are about 8 GOP seats to be had. the rest are Dem this cycle
4. So they need 18 of 8

Now they might peel off a GOP convict vote or 2 if the case were good, but not 10+ votes

particularly when the argument seems to be "Sentence first, verdict afterwards!"; 1/2/18, 7:50 AM
Michael K said...: I think the only chance the Democrats have is a major stock market correction.

It worked for George Mitchell in 1992 when he blocked capital gains tax reform to tank the market and managed to bring off a recession to get Bush defeated, Bush, of course, helped by raising other taxes and ignored the GOP base's complaints by saying "Read my hips."
To this day, I think the Bush tax increases were part of a deal with Democrats to get support for the Gulf War, At that time the Democrats were a majority.

They aren't now.

Andy McCarthy has another good column on the "collusion" myth.

Seven months after throwing Carter Page as fuel on the collusion fire lit by then-FBI director James Comey’s stunning public disclosure that the Bureau was investigating possible Trump campaign “coordination” in Russia’s election meddling, the Gray Lady now says: Never mind. We’re onto Collusion 2.0, in which it is George Papadopoulos — then a 28-year-old whose idea of résumé enhancement was to feign participation in the Model U.N. — who triggered the FBI’s massive probe by . . . wait for it . . . a night of boozy blather in London.

Papadopoulos was a volunteer who was on the make. He was never any sort of "advisor" and had no power. Campaigns attract these people on the make and he is not mentioned in the Lewandowski book.; 1/2/18, 7:50 AM
GRW3 said...: It will take a market crash for the demos to win. Even with that, they probably won't get to the 67 Senators needed to impeach. What are they going to do, impeach Trump repeatedly? Do the double jeopardy rules apply to impeachment?

They make a mistake about 'approval' ratings. The dems slavishly approved Obama no matter what was going on. Repubs and Indies are more likely to voice their problems on polls, even if there is no way they would shift their vote.

Their biggest issue may be their purity requirements. They let a moderate dem run in Alabama and he barely beat a really flawed candidate (lie detector after the ballot, what a moron). They supported him for the win but they won't let that kind of moderation expand.; 1/2/18, 7:56 AM
Ralph L said...: the Bush tax increases were part of a deal with Democrats to get support for the Gulf War
I can't remember when the deal was finalized, but Bush opened the door months before Saddam invaded.; 1/2/18, 7:57 AM
rehajm said...: their now consistent encouragement for voter ID laws and other perverted methods of maintaining power

Safeguards to ensure fairness in elections are perverted? This reads more like an admission the left needs illegal voting to win.; 1/2/18, 8:04 AM
dreams said...: The futures are showing that the stock market is going to open up over 100 points this morning so hopefully I can make some more money before the Dems accomplish their dirty work of impeachment.; 1/2/18, 8:08 AM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: So voting D is voting for a coup?; 1/2/18, 8:09 AM
dreams said...: I read about the deep state and how Obama was creating a shadow government even before Trump took office and it looks like they've followed the template.; 1/2/18, 8:11 AM
Michael K said...: The FBI insiders, some at least, may be talking to Congress now.

Grassley and Nunez are the two guys who have the knowledge and the power.

CTH doesn't trust Gowdy and says Nunez is the guy.

Sometime this month, after the initial Inspector General Michael Horowitz release, House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley will likely call for a Special Counsel to investigate the upper-level management of the FBI and DOJ. Support that approach. The SC can quickly put a Grand Jury together and start presenting the IG investigative evidence, as well as enforceable subpoenas for witnesses.

No Gowdy.

Gowdy is on the other side. The UniParty purchased him. Don’t forget Gowdy is the House version of Ted Cruz so he was always predisposed in that direction. Never forget that. Look at everything Gowdy does as intended to distract you from anything that matters and it will all make sense to you – Clear Eyes. Rooster proved his worthiness for the UniParty while leading the Benghazi “Special Committee” to clear Clinton.

Interesting times.; 1/2/18, 8:13 AM
Greg Hlatky said...: So, when Trump is impeached, convicted and removed from office and Pence takes over everything calms down, civility reigns, a new Era of Good Feelings begins and Michael K. and Inga become BFFs, right?; 1/2/18, 8:16 AM
dreams said...: "So, when Trump is impeached, convicted and removed from office and Pence takes over everything calms down, civility reigns, a new Era of Good Feelings begins and Michael K. and Inga become BFFs, right?"

Yeah, the same way it worked with Neville chamberlain and Hitler.; 1/2/18, 8:21 AM
FIDO said...: Ms. Althouse. One would think that seeing some of the...urm...intemperate posters here, that one would be able to see the same in the comment section of the NYTs.

This person is a delusional mouthbreather. He somehow thinks that the media has NOT been shrilly against Trump? It takes a special kind of Leftist to believe that. Our Lefties know the media has been massively anti-Trump. They just bewail that the Press has, heretofore, been largely ineffective.

That NYC has a lot of delusional mouthbreathers is not a remarkable or even surprising observation.

Dems are desperate. Let us see if they are desperate enough to get violent.

I keep thinking of that quote by Mike from Breaking Bad: "We had a good thing going but you had to ruin it with your pride and your ego because you had to be the man." (Paraphrased)

It seems that like Cersi Lannister, the Dems would rather blow up society than be back benchers as a result of legitimate elections.

And yet Ms. Althouse still thinks sweet things about such dangerous people because she worked with them and they seem smart.

How smart is it to drill holes in the bottom of a lifeboat?; 1/2/18, 8:24 AM
dbp said...: ""It goes without saying now that Democrats need a majority in Congress to impeach, and if they get it they should, and they should not stop with Trump, but add Gorsuch and every other illegitimate lifetime appointment made by Trump. ""

That this is the top rated comment, it says a lot about the state of mind of NYT readers. I don't think they are stupid, I think they are so angry they cannot think straight. It is high school level civics to know that you need at least a majority in the House and a very large majority in the Senate to remove anyone from office. It is anger which makes people "like" comments which have zero chance of actually working.; 1/2/18, 8:24 AM
Ann Althouse said...: They shouldn't have started clamoring for impeachment BEFORE a crime was found. That gave away the whole game in my opinion. It's worse than Trump's remark to Comey that is at this point the closest thing they've got to a crime and is only considered a crime by those who want to oust Trump anyway.

The whole process is irretrievably tainted. There's no slowing down and pretending to be nonpartisan now.; 1/2/18, 8:24 AM
Kevin said...: To impeach is to charge. They know they can’t get the Senate to convict and remove him, but it sets the race in 2020 against an impeached incumbent.

And most of the electorate will think that impeached means guilty, thus paving the way for the Dem lightweight they’re certain to run.; 1/2/18, 8:26 AM
Paul said...: My understanding is it takes the Senate 2/3 vote to CONVICT anyone.

So the Dems say they are gonna get 2/3 of the Senate?

In their dreams I guess...; 1/2/18, 8:26 AM
Michael K said...: This is all fantasy. Unless the market crashes significantly, there is no chance.

Periodically, I am prepared to believe Inga is mildly deluded but of good heart.

Then she goes full on hate and I have to reassess.; 1/2/18, 8:31 AM
Jaq said...: I was especially struck by the tone of the reporter. She was speaking slowly and, to my mind, condescendingly. As if she wanted to make sure the listener would be able to repeat what she was saying later.

Have you not noticed that ninety nine percent of the liberal commenters here can only repeat what they have heard, and can’t defend any of it. Whey they try, they step on their dicks immediately, so they don’t try. It is very important that these people be spoken to in that manner, otherwise their mind drifts off to fantasies about Trump raping them or something.; 1/2/18, 8:32 AM
tcrosse said...: And most of the electorate will think that impeached means guilty, thus paving the way for the Dem lightweight they’re certain to run.

Impeachment didn't seem to ruin Bill Clinton's popularity, and some would argue that the Dem lightweight who ran next actually won the election.; 1/2/18, 8:32 AM
Jaq said...: Periodically, I am prepared to believe Inga is mildly deluded but of good heart.

She said, when she was posting as the Unknown Troll, that she was not here to discuss, only to disrupt and to mock, well, to mock within her limited powers of mockery, and insult, once again constrained by her 40 watt intellect, so I don’t see why you would ever imagine her to be of good heart.

She was all into that pussy hat avatar while at the same time believing that Juanita and her five under oath witnesses were all lying about Bill Clinton, who was not even as bad as Louis CK! Good heart? Come on.

BTW, she denies saying she thinks Clinton is innocent of forcible rape on account of she has kept her opinion on that matter TOP SECRET!; 1/2/18, 8:36 AM
Jaq said...: IIRC, I thought at the time that impeachment would hurt Clinton in the mid-terms, but in fact, it help him, bringing out his supporters who would not normally have voted in an off year. It turned the mid-terms into a presidential contest.; 1/2/18, 8:38 AM
Matt Sablan said...: "I keep hearing these people ravening about impeachment, but never about what they plan to impeach Trump for."

-- They believe the Steele dossier; that Trump has illegal ties to Russia and that by not divesting himself of all his businesses he is enriching himself as President. Also, for the general crime of Not Being Hillary.; 1/2/18, 8:39 AM
Matt Sablan said...: "In 2016 before Hillary was elected when MSM was talking past her victory and looking to 2018 they were worried because of how unfavorable the map was for Dems in that cycle."

-- I wonder how much David Brock and others are willing to finance some character assassination and how that factors into balancing the map.; 1/2/18, 8:43 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: I think the GOP has a campaign issue. Let's hope they don't screw it up...for a change.; 1/2/18, 8:46 AM
wendybar said...: dreams said...
I read about the deep state and how Obama was creating a shadow government even before Trump took office and it looks like they've followed the template.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/waters-obama-campaign-database-has-information-about-everything-every-individual; 1/2/18, 8:55 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Also, don't forget that impeachment/removal isn't the end game - the Left certainly doesn't want Pence as President. It's just a means to win the Presidency in 2020. Bloody up the Trump/Pence/GOP with a bogus special counsel investigation, then claim virtue and restoration a la Jimmy Carter in 1976.

We've seen this movie before.

The good news is that the Left has overplayed their hand, and their scheme is out in the open. Some idiot Congressman from Texas, Al Green, has already filed impeachment papers, and got 59 Dem votes in the House.; 1/2/18, 8:56 AM
buwaya said...: I am a broken record of course, but again;

The biggest political/economic risk in the world today is political turmoil in the US. The cause of that is the irrevocable cultural split in its society. Half the country does not see the other half as human anymore. The consequences of this are just becoming apparent.; 1/2/18, 8:57 AM
Hagar said...: "Prudence might have beaten Trump. Hillary never had a shot."

Good one, Henry!; 1/2/18, 8:58 AM
whitney said...: The lack of alarm in the media??? That's all the media is now. It's all alarming all the time!; 1/2/18, 9:01 AM
MountainMan said...: "Once set, the example of impeaching a President for what, when the excitement of the hour shall have subsided, will be regarded as insufficient causes, as several of those now alleged against the President were decided to be by the House of Representatives only a few months since, and no future President will be safe who happens to differ with a majority of the House and two thirds of the Senate on any measure deemed by them important, particularly if of a political character. Blinded by partisan zeal, with such an example before them, they will not scruple to remove out of the way any obstacle to the accomplishment of their purposes, and what then becomes of the checks and balances of the Constitution, so carefully devised and so vital to its perpetuity? They are all gone."

Senator Lyman Trumbull of Illinois, who voted to acquit Andrew Johnson in 1867; 1/2/18, 9:02 AM
William said...: One Weiner falls, but yet another Weiner, dewy and ambrosial, rises with the new year to reveal his truth and beauty. The Dems are never at a loss for Weiners. They've got a Weiner for every occasion.; 1/2/18, 9:07 AM
Original Mike said...: "We must be as vicious and thorough in our opposition as Republicans have been craven with their gerrymandering and brazen with their now consistent encouragement for voter ID laws and other perverted methods of maintaining power being put forth by the Justice Department."

Republicans really do appear to be super-concerned about fraud and Democrats not so much. Democrats really appear to be concerned about the electoral implications, not so much fraud.

This is my shocked face.; 1/2/18, 9:08 AM
Anonymous said...: I do appreciate the Democrats willingness to machine gun themselves in their feet.

Because You are right: 10 months of slavering over impeachment for the "crime" of winning the 2016 election is going to crush the Democrats chances of winning in November; 1/2/18, 9:20 AM
LakeLevel said...: "Weiner begins by assuming that it's "increasingly plausible" that Democrats will take over the majority in both houses of Congress after the 2018 elections".
The Democrats are beginning their campaign from a place of delusion. The Real Clear Politics Poll Average of 2016 Generic Congressional Vote had the Dems up more than 6 percent with 3 weeks to go. And yet it turned out 239 Rep - 193 Dem. How is such a thing possible? Because they lie.; 1/2/18, 9:21 AM
Rick said...: We must be as vicious and thorough in our opposition as Republicans have been craven with their gerrymandering and brazen with their now consistent encouragement for voter ID laws and other perverted methods of maintaining power being put forth by the Justice Department.

Let me understand the current liberal (the supposed reasonable left) framing:

1. Right wingers citing voter fraud are delusional and proof the right cannot exercise reasonable judgement.

2. Left wingers citing voter fraud and worse are reasonable people.

From what I can tell the last reasonable left group with influence were the Founding Fathers. Since then we've had one group of delusional extremists after another posing as liberals.; 1/2/18, 9:27 AM
Static Ping said...: Impeaching Trump without a legitimate reason carries with it serious risk. Actually removing Trump without a legitimate reason is essentially an act of war. There's no going back at that point. Be careful what you wish for.; 1/2/18, 9:28 AM
mockturtle said...: Hope springs eternal in the Leftist breast.; 1/2/18, 9:35 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: Half the country does not see the other half as human anymore.

My theory on that is that the people who are winners under globalism find it far easier to demonize the losers as moral reprobates who deserve their fate than deal with the fact that globalism has costs. Also, viewing the importing and exploitation of cheap labor as being a moral good removes the sting of exploiting people for cheap labor.; 1/2/18, 9:35 AM
robother said...: This is why the Deep State who met in Andy's office considered the Steele dossier the insurance policy against Trump winning the election. Watergate is their template.

Initiate an investigation (including FISA court approved wiretaps) on Trump campaign. Leaking by top FBI and DOJ "Deep Throats" will feed the MSM narrative that "something bad" must've been going on. Put lower ranking officials in the plea-bargain vise. Get a special coulee appointed, staffed with Andy's crew.

Dems re-take the House in 2018, get 51 in the Senate, promptly impeach Trump. The Wiser Heads in the GOP Senate ge to Trump, explain the only honorable thing to spare the country the agony of an impeachment trial in the Senate, is to resign like Nixon.; 1/2/18, 9:39 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: The Wiser Heads in the GOP Senate ge to Trump, explain the only honorable thing to spare the country the agony of an impeachment trial in the Senate, is to resign like Nixon.

Which shows they don't understand Trump at all. In such a scenario he would fight.; 1/2/18, 9:42 AM
FIDO said...: Curious.

The Republican standard of voting is the voter

1) Is alive

2) Is a citizen

3) Over the age of 18

4) and is not a felon

5) is not insane

6) is registered to vote

7) and can prove the above things by a free or already held form of ID

8) and only votes once.

For reasons I am unsure of, Democrats think that these standards will undercut their electoral prospects and are frankly perverse.

Hmm!; 1/2/18, 9:45 AM
Ken B said...: If this is really their plan the gop might consider a preemptive strike. Charge the demand under Rico, swat raids, some Ted Stevens style charges, a few states of emergency, etc. Once you completely abandon the rule of law and the constitution as weiner suggests all bets are off, right?; 1/2/18, 9:45 AM
FIDO said...: Just a quick stat: 87 percent of Americans able to drive have a driver's license.

So I think a country wealthy enough to pay for 'free healthcare for all' and 'free educations' as Democrats seem to believe, can afford free IDs for the mere 13% of the population who does not have a driver's license.; 1/2/18, 9:49 AM
Kevin said...: Impeachment didn't seem to ruin Bill Clinton's popularity, and some would argue that the Dem lightweight who ran next actually won the election.

Nobody ever said he wasn't likable. Likable is his superpower.

Clinton never had to run for election after he was impeached. No voters ever had to make a moral judgement about his behavior.

Clinton's impeachment weighed on Gore's campaign and whether the Dems should get a third term. Clinton wanted to hit the campaign trail for a third time, but Gore could not put Bill out there without Gore having to answer questions about Bill's behavior in office.

So yes, the Dem lightweight benefited from Clinton's impeachment.; 1/2/18, 9:51 AM
Unclebiffy said...: The MSM has created an echo chamber for the left. If you believe conservative media and websites are simply propaganda for the right it is very easy to avoid any information that contradicts the lefts conventional wisdom that Trump stole the election. Yes, the NYT and Washington Post will have stories that provide information that republicans are investigating wrong doing by Comey, Meuller and the DOJ but it is always inferred that those investigations are political and a distraction from the actual wrong doing of Trump. Those articles are then paired with multiple stories that continue to suggest Russian collusion and obstruction of justice are givens.

Ann's post points out that the number one comment regarding this article doesn't even consider that there might be problems with Mueller's investigation. Trump is guilty, we're just waiting for the charges that will justify his impeachment. Is there any doubt that the MSM will continue supporting this story regardless of the evidence?

Additionally, it supports the pattern of reporting of elections of the MSM. There is no way the republicans will ever win. The news is always good for the democrats. It is always a surprise if republicans gain. I remember the reporting leading up to the 2010 elections. Media suggested their might be some republican gains but nothing of the size and significance that actually took place. Trump's election was no more a surprise to the MSM than was Bush over John Kerry.

Oh, and be sure that the Washington Post will again be performing opposition research for the Democrats. It is amazing that they were able to turn a nonsense word, maraca, into a racial slur against George Alan, found Mitt Romney's elementary school grades and a story that he bullied a gay student during that time, somehow got their hands on the years old Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump's off camera comments and finally, found all of those victims of Roy Moore after 38 years of silence. All of these stories broke after primaries and just months prior to elections. Can anyone come up with any thing comparable for democrats?

We live in dangerous times and this article and the comment section are indications that our news media no longer care about sharing information for their readers to evaluate. Instead they are political entities that provide a narrative for their own political purposes and intentionally feed and shape only the information that they want their readers to hear. If we didn't have the internet what are the chances that we would know anything about the that might cast doubt on the Russian collusion story?; 1/2/18, 9:53 AM
FIDO said...: Ken B,

why even start there? I think that we have a quorum of Congress and the Senate determine that Old Giddy Ginsburg is far past her sell by date and is mentally incompetent at the ripe old age of 1 million and she needs to step down for 'fresh blood'.

Honestly, what is up with that woman? I think an examination of her basement is going to show that she has some hooks and a bath tub ala Elizabeth Bathory to keep her swinging.; 1/2/18, 9:53 AM
Kevin said...: Which shows they don't understand Trump at all. In such a scenario he would fight.

The point is they understand the R's in the Senate. The point is the GOPe liked their cushy jobs in the minority party.; 1/2/18, 9:53 AM
FIDO said...: Unclebiffy

At this point, the only seats that Democrats seem to hold are those with so many Democrat voters that you can have a Sheila Jackson Lee or a Conners in office and they will STILL be elected.

So all the dirt dug up short of a crime (look at Marion Barry. AHEM) isn't likely to hurt their prospects.; 1/2/18, 9:57 AM
Original Mike said...: "So I think a country wealthy enough to pay for 'free healthcare for all' and 'free educations' as Democrats seem to believe, can afford free IDs for the mere 13% of the population who does not have a driver's license."

I believe most voter ID laws have a provision for free IDs for those who can't afford one. That does not placate the Dems, for the obvious reason that their real intention is to facilitate voting fraud.; 1/2/18, 10:01 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: The point is they understand the R's in the Senate. The point is the GOPe liked their cushy jobs in the minority party.

Sure, there would be Republican senators that would try to get Trump to resign. My point is that Trump wouldn't. There is a serious political realignment going on in the country right now. Naturally enough, the people who benefit from the status quo are resisting it. But, contrary to NYT readers expectations, you cannot continue to disenfranchise and impoverish about 50% of the electorate indefinitely. Cause correct side of history and moral arc of the universe, so go die losing losers.; 1/2/18, 10:04 AM
eric said...: Do they realize they need 67 votes in the Senate to remove?; 1/2/18, 10:19 AM
tcrosse said...: Do they realize they need 67 votes in the Senate to remove?

Do they realize that none of this will make Hillary president ?; 1/2/18, 10:23 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: The reason the establishment was so certain that Trump was going to lose is that leftist absolutely dominate every major organization in the country. MSM, universities, large corporations, government bureaucracies, everything. Yet, despite that, Trump still won.

The guy that owns Papa John's was ousted as CEO of the company he founded because he made the common sense statement that the NFL players' protest were hurting the sales of Papa John's pizza. This is something obvious to any reasonable observer. Papa John's is a major NFL sponsor. People associate Papa John's with the NFL and are upset with the NFL because of the protests. And even if he is incorrect is that a reason to oust him? Apparently that statement was literally unspeakable. The left now functions mostly as a mechanism to prevent people from speaking things the left does not want to hear.

For instance, the lefts' anger at Trump for addressing the NFL player protest via twitter. They're mad because he busted up the narrative that it was a great thing and everyone supported it. He gave voice to the people who were angered by it. And those people either don't exist, or don't deserve to have a voice, according to the left.

Well when 20 - 100 people in NYC controlled the discourse in the MSM, and the MSM was all that was available, you could manufacture consensus. And even then it wasn't perfect. Nixon and Reagan got elected, despite the animosity of the establishment. Now it is just impossible. Only old people get their news from broadcast networks. There are a lot of kids coming of age that don't remember a time before smart phones.

The status quo is attempting to reestablish control of the narrative via weaponizing social media, official and unofficial speech codes, and outright speech laws. It won't work in the end though because the Internet and ubiquitous computing is changing society in ways that cannot be anticipated. Its not going to be possible to govern a country were everyone has access to a smart phone and 3d printers make it possible to decentralize manufacturing with our current bureaucracies than it would have been possible for the manufacturing revolution to have happened under medieval guild rules.

We live in interesting times.; 1/2/18, 10:32 AM
Kevin said...: Sure, there would be Republican senators that would try to get Trump to resign. My point is that Trump wouldn't.

Totally agree. They're banking on getting to 60 votes very quickly and then waging a media campaign against the rest to reach 67.

That's their version of reality they're holding tightly to.

Remember, their story is he's either (a) a Russian agent, or (b) holding himself above the law. They will not understand why they can't get 80 or 90 votes once the "truth" comes out.; 1/2/18, 10:32 AM
Unclebiffy said...: Kevin, and if the truth does not come out democrats will just need to continue investigating until it does. There is no other alternative reality for them.; 1/2/18, 10:43 AM
MacMacConnell said...: The Democrats will attempt to impeach President Trump for his sodomizing a Vassar girl in college, the Electorial College.; 1/2/18, 10:45 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: @Kevin,

"Clinton's impeachment weighed on Gore's campaign and whether the Dems should get a third term. Clinton wanted to hit the campaign trail for a third time, but Gore could not put Bill out there without Gore having to answer questions about Bill's behavior in office."

Yes. And, you may recall, that the impeachment influenced Gore's decision to name Lieberman as his VP -- the only Dem Senator to publicly chastise Clinton for immoral behavior.

In sum, the impeachment was not directly successful (Clinton survived politically), but it was indirectly successful because it prompted Gore to distance his campaign from Clinton, which tactic probably helped George W Bush squeak by with a razor-thin win.; 1/2/18, 11:04 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Mantra:

Impeachment is a just a political means to help the Dems win the 2020 Presidency.
Impeachment is a just a political means to help the Dems win the 2020 Presidency.
Impeachment is a just a political means to help the Dems win the 2020 Presidency.
Impeachment is a just a political means to help the Dems win the 2020 Presidency.; 1/2/18, 11:05 AM
mockturtle said...: The Democrats will attempt to impeach President Trump for his sodomizing a Vassar girl in college, the Electorial College.

She was schlonged, for sure.; 1/2/18, 11:21 AM
Gahrie said...: There is no way the Democrats take over the Senate in 2020. They'll be lucky not to lose seats. Following historical trends, the republicans might lose seats in the House and even control of the House.

The only way impeachment happens is if the Republican Establishment in the Senate cooperates with the Democrats, which is plausible I grant you. It would destroy the Republican Party however.; 1/2/18, 11:39 AM
Mattman26 said...: These people are fricking idiots. This is no way to get elected.

And by the way, a majority (in the house) may suffice to "impeach" (bring articles of impeachment), but it takes two-thirds of the senators present to actually convict someone on articles of impeachment.

There is not a chance in hell Dems will get a 2/3 majority in the senate in the midterms.

So what they're really promising their rabid followers is that they will tie up the nation in an impeachment drama that will not result in the removal of the President or anyone else.

Fantastic agenda, guys.; 1/2/18, 11:40 AM
Gahrie said...: I keep hearing these people ravening about impeachment, but never about what they plan to impeach Trump for . Have I missed that, or did they skip over that part?

Just being a Republican is enough.; 1/2/18, 11:41 AM
Comanche Voter said...: If,like I am, you are subjected to a daily dose of the Los Angeles Times headlines and stories predicting disaster and uphill sledding for Trump and his agenda--well then the NYT commenter makes perfect sense.

OTOH, if you still remain a sentient being, most of that LA Times codswallop rolls right off your back.; 1/2/18, 11:51 AM
Rabel said...: Tom Steyer is running this ad on cable channels. I've seen it twice. Last night it showed on the E! channel presentation of Mean Girls. A perfectly fitting forum.; 1/2/18, 1:32 PM
Steven said...: Now they might peel off a GOP convict vote or 2 if the case were good, but not 10+ votes

Mmmm. Given the underlying attitudes of the Senate GOP to Trump, I suspect a genuinely good perjury case could get Trump removed. Particularly because it would let the Republicans who supported removing Clinton talk about how they're men of principle.; 1/2/18, 7:17 PM